Helen’s Closet Avery Leggings!

The Avery leggings have a wide faced yoke/waistband, with encased elastic at the top. I sewed the high rise version, but there is also an option with lower rise. There’s also a triangular gusset in the back, which was easy to sew once I actually looked at the instructions!

Sorry for the grumpy face here – it was cold and when I didn’t remember to smile, I ended up with this expression of “What am I doing out here without a coat?”

The faced waistband is a nice feature, because it give some extra support without being tight or uncomfortable. If you squint at this picture you can see I’ve just folded up the raw edge of the leg… I’m going to check if anyone I know needs a pair of athletic leggings before I hem them for my short stubby legs! I sewed the long length to be safe, but the short length leg would be perfect for me. (Update: These belong to a friend now, and she likes them so much that I bought her the pattern to sew herself!)

Why don’t I need these leggings myself when they fit so well? Well, these are the third pair of leggings I’ve sewn in this exact fabric! It’s a lovely polyester athletic knit from Len’s Mills.

Grey Leggings – Cake Espressos. A super simple leggings pattern that I’ve sewn for many people since I was a pattern tester in 2013, and because it is a connect-the-dots made-to-measure pattern, it fits everyone perfectly. Fits up into plus sizes.

Pink Leggings – Cashmerette Belmont. Size 12-28. Has an inner and out leg seam, and optional diamond-shaped gusset. The pattern also includes a cropped yoga pant style. Blogged here! I added 1″ to the back rise.

To be honest, I’m shocked how well they all fit me! The all have a really similar above-the-belly-button rise on me, which I demand from my leggings… and they all stay in place throughout the day! Really, I think any of these patterns would be a great investment, so chose the style and size range that works best for you.

I’ll leave you with this:

My most recent attempt to look like I was working out while standing on an icy porch! I did do some lunges with my foot on the railing, but it was too bootylicious for this blog. I promise though, the range of motion was excellent!

I also want to thank Helen for using a gorgeous curvy model (her cousin, who looks foxy in her leggings!) for the first time. When I see a pattern modelled on someone my size (XXL) and on Helen, who I think wears an L or XL, as well as a diverse range of testers, I feel like the pattern really was intended to look great on everyone!

Any questions about comparing these three patterns? I’m happy to share, because I like them all!

Related

Post navigation

42 thoughts on “Helen’s Closet Avery Leggings!”

I liked seeing the comparison on you. The Averys seem to fit your legs the best, meaning there are zero wrinkles at the knee. I don’t think the others that do have some wrinkles would actually be noticed if not for the comparison, but it was cool to see the comparison. And you’re still pretty cute in your non-smiling pic. 🙂

The Averys do fit really well at the knee – I hadn’t noticed that! I got excited once I figured out that I could make all three patterns in the same fabric, because I always appreciate a side-by-side comparison!

I am a firm believer that if you are planning to wear tights as you would pants, then you should wear a longer top. The tights are definitely too revealing, even if you are very slim. Only my opinion….

Louise – I’m guessing that Gillian showed these with the shorter tops to be able to more fully demonstrate the fit of each of the different legging styles – which is so helpful if you’re considering sewing up a pair yourself! That said, as I have become more “curvy,” I have learned to embrace that everyone has their own sense of style and should go with what they love and feel comfortable with. Personally, I think she looks great in all of them with the shorter length tops! Cheers!

Louise, body shaming and wardrobe policing is not welcome here. I wish you had asked me if I feel confident wearing these athletic leggings as pants, or said “I would love a pair of leggings like this to layer with a tunic!” If you post here again telling me or anyone else what to wear, I will delete your comment.

^Right? Confrontation always gets a negative rap. I think it’s imperative to communication and understanding. I’m not at all into sites that shut down/delete comments without attempting proper dialog. Saw a sewing blogger recently delete every little comment that didn’t agree with his perspective!

I think you may be labouring under the impression that this is a fashion blog, not a sewing blog. For those of us who sew it’s important to see the whole garment on the body. Just to warn you that if you follow sewing blogs you will see pictures of people in their underwear occasionally. This doesn’t mean that they would style themselves that way. Quite frankly though I have no issue whether a woman chooses to be covered fully from head to toe in a sheet or whether she chooses to go out in her birthday suit. As for Gillian, I think she looks great and the leggings pattern looks good too.

Which would be your recommendation for a first-time sewist of leggings? I’m still fairly new with knits and also need to make sure there’s booty-room in the pattern 🙂 I’d love to find a go-to pattern for leggings so that I can stitch up a few pair quickly. Thank you!

Espressos have been my go-to pattern for years (literally, since 2013 I think!) and I’ve made pairs for people larger and smaller than me. It’s the fastest and simplest of the patterns, and well worth trying out! My big suggestion would be to make sure you use 4-way stretch fabric (that stretches vertically and horizontally) so that your leggings stay in place even when you bend or sit!

I took a workshop on making your own leggings here in Victoria at the Makehouse a couple of years ago and she provided the pattern for everyone – I have no idea whose pattern it is! It’s just one leg which you cut double, sew up, add elastic around the waist and voila pair of perfectly fitting leggings. I love them so much I can’t imagine ever buying a pair again and I doubt I ever will! Couldn’t recommend this more highly. Love your pinks and blues 🙂

That’s what the Espressos are like – the most basic of all leggings pattern, and I love them so much! They are always what I’m wearing under dresses in blog pics (and every day life). What did we all do before leggings???

I was excited to try the Avery pattern as my teenager has decided that’s all she wants to wear this winter- and when she got home to try them on, I got the ‘why did you try another pattern, the other (Espressos) fit perfectly!’ I explained that I liked the challenge of a new pattern, I will wear the Avery’s, and made her another pair of Espressos 🙂

I love the frank comparison of same fabric, different patterns, and you are gorgeous, other people should just mind their own business

Oh picky teenagers! 😉 Maybe she’ll decide they look so good on you that she wants them back! I love Espressos too though, and I do think the fit is excellent! (And believe me, nothing made my day like bloggy friends telling people to mind their own beeswax! <3)

Hi! Thanks for posting a comparison – I’m trying to decide between the Belmont and the Avery.

My main concern is that the fabric I want to use (a lovely fleece backed lycra from Len’s Mills) only has about 50-60% stretch. That seems like it fits the description for the Belmonts, but the Avery asks for 70% stretch. In your opinion, do you think the Avery would work in a slightly less stretchy fabric? Or is it really at it’s best in a super stretchy fabric only?

You look Uh.Maze.Ing! I love a nice wide band on the top of my leggings! I like to go running…wait, that’s a lie. I make myself go running because I LIKE pizza, and nice high, wide bands keep my pants up over my pizza belly! 😀 mmmm….pizza….

This is really helpful. I’m particularly drawn to the wide waistband on the Averys. What kind of waistband do the Cake leggings have? I like that neither have an outseam, as I would be wearing mine as tights under dresses and tunics.

I love this idea! My Espresso leggings ended up being rather “loose” so I tend to use that pattern for low-stretch fabrics and the Jalie leggings pattern for stretchier fabrics. I am loving the Avery’s especially since that’s pretty much the kind of raised double yoke I’ve been experimenting with on my past few pairs of leggings! 😂

If I had a pair of leggings that fit me this well they would be the only pants I ever wore until the end of time!! I just bought this pattern for myself and I’ve heard so many rave reviews about them. Thanks for showing them off in all their glory, from all angles 🙂 ❤

Thanks Gillian for taking the time to show these leggings patterns side-by-side. I definitely don’t like leggings to have a seam at the side so I might just give the Avery pattern a blast. I had tried one from Burda (and a pdf too) but they came out huge. Probably down to my rubbish choice of fabric. I think that you look bloody fabulous in all three pairs, the fit is nice on all of them and I commend you suffering for your art with no coat on. It looks freezing where you are! Xx

Hi Gillian
Can I ask a question that may sound a bit ‘doh!’ to all of you experienced sewists, but why do we need a gusset in our leggings? Is it specially used for us curvy leggings wearers? I’ve checked all my RTW pairs, and there’s no sign of one, but wait … maybe that’s why they don’t fit anything like as well as yours do.
BTW, show that bottom off with pride girl, and shout ‘Knickers’ to anyone who’s mean enough to disagree!

Hi! I’m the friend that ended up with the blue leggings, after I told Gillian’s sister Anne about sewing Sewaholic’s Pacific leggings. I *think* that the gusset is so that crazy stretchy/bendy people can do stuff like the splits without ripping out the crotch of their pants XD. I’ve started doing yoga with some friends from work and also find that the leggings don’t cut in to my upper thighs the way some other pants do, while i’m stretching. Hope that helps answer your question! (Also, totally not a silly question!!)

You know, I’ve asked both Jenny from Cashmerette and Helen from Helen’s Closet why a gusset is needed… and Kim is exactly right. It’s for the super-flexible amongst us (not me) or people who find that all four seams meeting at the crotch is uncomfortable when they are on a bike or something. I think a gusset can’t hurt in athletic leggings, but for the leggings that I wear day to day under dresses, they aren’t necessary! 😉

Flexible? Stretchy? That let’s me out then 😉. It sounds as if I can (and probably should) remain blissfully unaware on the gusset front when it comes to making my first pair of leggings, although it would be another notch on my newbie sewist challenge belt… Many thanks to you both for your help, and for not making me feel dim!

Thank you for the review. I especially like a lot of pics from all angles/views it helps me decide whether or not to purchase the item. Even though I always, always cover my rear, I still want to see the waist band! LOL! I know-weird, nobody’s going to see it. It’s important I see how high (or low) it sits etc..
I love this site, the reviews and all info is so, thoughtful, helpful, and well put together. I appreciate all those who post their pics 🙂 Thank you and keep up the great work!!

Thank you so much for this blog. I followed a link at the Curvy Sewing Collective post in 2018 to get here. My friend is a true apple shape and it is impossible to find ready to wear leggings to fit her as a true apples waist is the largest measurement. She gets so hot in the summer leggings are her only solution. Thanks to your article that listed Cake Espresso Leggings, with pictures, I was able to show her that she no longer had to suffer. This week I will be making her fabulous leggings in colors and wild prints just like the smaller sizes. She is thrilled.

I love your blog. I love the fact that you show the whole garment as someone who has a belly i like to see the waistband and the complete fit. So good for you for showing us sewers the “while garment”. I think people who make nasty comments are just jealous that they don’t have the courage to show there “real body”. People come in all sizes and it’s nice to see someone that’s an honest sewer. Did she not realize she was on a curvy website,duh. So you keep up the great work and keep posting those great pictures and descriptions of your garments because we really appreciate it and stand behind you 1000%. You go girl. I’m a mom with a plus side daughter and you are a great role model.

I love the blue pair on you. Super flattering. Thank you for your reviews! As a bigger girl I appreciate how difficult it is to get a good flattering fit with clothing like this. Thank you for taking the time and putting your self out there. You look fantastic.